


The Broken Heal

by Beast_of_the_Horde



Category: Split (2016)
Genre: Fluff, Multi, Past Abuse, everyone is bi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-17
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-07-13 09:25:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16015040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beast_of_the_Horde/pseuds/Beast_of_the_Horde
Summary: Casey Cooke runs away from home and meets Barry, a lovable fashion designer with many dark secrets. The Horde begins to form and together Casey and Barry must find a way to prevent the birth of The Beast. (Begins pre Split)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I thought I'd give a try at writing an alternate storyline for these characters I adore so much. I just desperately want them to find the happiness they so very much deserve. Here's to hoping they survive Glass! :')

The sound of tigers chuffing happily, chasing one another through the cage tunnels that stretched on above the pathways of the Philadelphia Zoo, brought a smile to Barry's face. He sighed, breathing in the autumn air scented peculiarly by the various wild animals. He shut the door to his underground home behind him and looked around to see the other maintenance workers gathering by the rhinoceros exhibit. 

Barry felt like he could be his normal social self today. His mind was clear, troublesome thoughts were not burdening him this morning. He was focused and ready for the day's work. Still smiling, he made his way over to greet the other zoo employees. The more quiet ones nodded at him while the more outgoing few gave friendly hellos.

"Hiya Barry!" The oldest worker said brightly, "How are ya feeling today?" 

"I feel better... I feel pretty good actually. How bout yourself, old man?" Said Barry playfully. 

"Ah ya know, the usual. My wife is still grieving over our dog's passing, but I think I'm gunna go stop by the shelter after work and see if any senior dogs need a new home." The man finished with a wink. 

"Aaah bravo sir, bravo!" Barry praised. "I'm sure that will make her very happy." 

The old man grinned and crossed his fingers before resuming his previous conversation with one of the younger workers. Barry found himself pleased to be working in such a rare and wonderful place. Amongst the animals and generally nice people, he realized a sense of belonging and purpose. 

The promise of a good day was just ahead. A school from Camden New Jersey was taking a field trip to the zoo today. Barry looked forward to seeing happy kids enjoying the animals. 

When the school buses arrived at the gates and oceans of teenagers began flooding through the entrance, Barry immediately grew overwhelmed. Their shrieking and constant noise was off putting, but he knew he had to keep it together and clean up after them efficiently. Many of the students already seemed more engaged in their phones than the animals at the zoo, but it wasn't Barry's job to educate. All he had to do was keep everything running smoothly. 

Without much incident, the morning went by. A majority of the students behaved respectfully, with only a handful having to get kicked out. Barry mostly helped with sweeping up trash and occasionally answering questions for guests. On his break, Barry ate lunch by the lion exhibit, watching the lionesses wrestle with the big male. 

"So sweet." Barry giggled to himself, getting sandwich crumbs on his work uniform. Alarmed, he quickly brushed them away. The memories of Kevin's mother attacking him for making messes still rang loud in his brain. 

"At least I'm not as bad as Dennis." Barry mumbled to himself. When he turned back around to continue watching the lions, he noticed a man with a cartoonish looking mustache standing beside him. 

"Beautiful aren't they huh?" The man said pleasantly. "I've always thought lions were amazing animals." 

Barry smiled. "They sure are." He agreed. "The male's name is Makini. He's very playful. We feed them full carcasses here. It's a real spectacle to watch them eat!" 

"Fascinating! I'm a science teacher for the visiting school. I was just too excited to come here and see them. My students were awfully excited too!" The man laughed. "Anywho, I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of the nearest restroom?" 

"Oh yeah sure! Right over there past the main tiger exhibit. It's in the education center." Barry directed, pointing with his finger. 

"Ah yes! Thank you very much! Enjoy your day!" The man said, beginning to jog off that way. He turned and gave Barry one last friendly wave before disappearing around a corner. 

Barry gave a wave after him, remarking immediately how pleasant of an encounter that was. As the extroverted leader of the system, Barry very much enjoyed the chances he got to interact with strangers in positive ways. A lot of the time, however, people would judge him based on his voice. Brief as it was, the mustached man lifted his spirits. 

When Barry turned back around again, two teenage girls were standing beside him in the place of the science teacher. Both of the girls were snickering and giving each other looks. One was a tall redhead wearing a pink sweatshirt and the other had short bleached hair. 

"Hi umm, can I help you with anything?" Barry asked. 

"Are you gay?" The tall redhead blurted out. 

"You sound gay." The other stated, "Do you think our teacher is hot?" 

Barry was cornered. He swallowed nervously as he contemplated how to respond. He knew better than to engage with cruel teenagers, but at the same time he felt obligated to correct them. 

"Listen sweetie, it's not appropriate to ask me that. Do you need help with anything?" 

"Yeah, he's totally gay!" The short girl cackled. 

"What a fairy!" The tall girl teased. 

"Okay honey, I'm bi. You happy? Now please go run along and take selfies and do whatever it is you do." Barry snapped. 

"Oh you're bi huh?" The redhead grinned wickedly. Without warning, she took ahold of Barry's wrist and shoved his hand up under her shirt, forcing him to grope her breast. The second girl grabbed his other hand and did the same. 

Horrified, Barry ripped his hands away. The two girls swiftly ran off laughing and hollering to each other. They reached a group of boys who were standing nearby and an uproar of laughter could be heard. The group of kids quickly disappeared into a crowd of people and Barry was left standing there, shaking in fury and fear. 

Barry looked to his hands as if they had been burned. Horrible images and memories that weren't his own crashed through his brain like stones thrown through a pane of glass. 

\---

"Kevin Wendell Crumb. Get over here." His mother hissed. 

"No mommy... please no." The little boy begged. 

\---

Barry snapped out of it, shaking the awful thoughts out of his head. 

"Damn it!" Barry cursed, "Ugh I feel sick again already." 

"Let me take the light." A gruff voice whispered in Barry's mind. 

"Dennis?" Barry asked aloud, feeling a spike of terror run through him. "Nah. No way. You have no business being here. Sit back down." 

"Never." A British-accented woman snapped, "Its only a matter of time now..." Her voice echoed in Barry's brain. 

\---

The classroom was quiet aside from the fidgeting of several impatient students waiting for the clock to strike five. Most eyes were focused on the sour face of the teacher appointed detention duty. The older man, clearly not wanting to be there just as much as the students, glared irritably at each of them. A boy in the front snorted obnoxiously and looked behind him at the other seated kids. 

Casey Cooke sat in the back of the classroom, staring out a window and watching the wind blow through the autumn trees. She was not anxious to get out of detention at all. This was a calm place. Not happy, but calm. Aside from the visible agitation in the other students and teacher, Casey found that being here made her feel safe and in control. To get detention was to take an active step in shielding herself from something much worse than failing grades or a bad record. 

Earlier that day, during history class, Casey had cussed out her teacher for the minor offense of calling on her to answer a question. Any excuse to yell would do. Casey didn't do this every day, but on days where she knew her uncle was angry with her, she would gladly rather take the abuse from her school than her home. 

Four fifty-seven, the clock read, as a boy sitting nearby Casey began to perk up. His feet shuffled against the floor and his sweaty hands gripped the desk he sat at. 

"Fucking hurry up." He mumbled under his breath. 

"No talking!" The teacher snapped, burning his eyes into the boy. 

The boy rolled his eyes and looked over to see Casey peering at him. He shot her a glare and then resumed staring at the clock. 

The moment the clock struck five, students shot up from their seats and swiftly marched out the door, leaving only Casey and one other girl who was slower to gather her things. When that girl scurried out of the room, the teacher's eyes landed on Casey. 

"You can leave now, Cooke." 

Casey nodded, not looking at him. Slowly, she rose from her seat and walked out of the classroom, leaving safety behind. 

Walking though the empty school hallway, hearing her footsteps echo through the building, Casey felt herself begin to cry. She looked ahead at the exit getting closer and closer, knowing that as soon as she left the building she would be that much nearer to the one person she feared more than any other. 

Exiting the school building, chilled air swirled through Casey's hair and tickled the back of her neck, giving her skin goosebumps. She looked towards the parking lot full of desolate school buses and a single truck revving its engine. In the driver's seat of the truck, was Uncle John. Casey could feel his malicious stare from where she stood. 

Looking in the other direction, Casey spotted a few figures in the distance running on the school's track. Squinting, she recognized two of the figures as Claire Benoit and Marcia. They were dressed in preppy school sweatshirts and short shorts despite the cold weather creeping in. Faintly, Casey could hear their laughter as they gossiped and ran along side each other, enjoying the last bit of the day's sun. 

Casey reluctantly walked over to the passenger side of the truck in the parking lot, looking at the ground. She opened the door and a musty odor struck her nose. Cigarettes and sweat. Entering the truck, Casey's eyes remained focused on her feet. Uncle John's loud angry breathing made not paying mind to his presence difficult. Casey gently shut the door behind her and wiped the snot from her nose with the sleeve of her hoodie. Uncle John grunted as he pulled the truck out of the parking space. He tore out of the school parking lot and took off down the road. 

Casey nervously looked over at the giant man beside her while his focus was on his driving. The scowl on his face and tight grip on the steering wheel indicated his mood clearly. She hated his silence. The threat of what would come next was always more frightening when he refused to give it away. 

"I hope you're happy." Uncle John spoke, his voice booming in Casey's startled ears. 

Casey did not respond. She looked out the window at a group of small children playing in a yard, wishing she could be young again and join them in their safe happy world. 

"You know trying to run away will just get you in more trouble, so why do you do it, Casey?" 

Silently Casey's gaze returned to her uncle. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. 

"Answer me." 

"Because you scare me." Casey whispered. 

"I scare you? Why do I scare you? I'm your uncle Casey and you better show me some respect." 

"I'm sorry." 

"Damn right you are." 

After twenty more minutes of tense silent driving, Casey and her uncle arrived at their home. The gravel in the driveway crunched under the tires as the truck rolled to a stop. Casey stared ahead, too afraid to look at her uncle. She could feel the weight of his eyes on her before hearing him slip out of the truck and slam the door shut. 

Casey knew better than to waste time cowering, so she unbuckled her seatbelt and hopped out of the truck after her uncle. The giant man was already at the door, unlocking it with a loud clacking pair of keys. Casey looked to the windows. The curtains were drawn, as they always were, to hide what goes on inside. Casey took one last look behind her at the sparse neighborhood she lived in. Everyone minded their own business here. Even if she were to scream for help, no one would come to save her. 

"Let's go, Casey." 

Casey turned back to face her uncle. He held the door open for her expectantly. She swallowed nervously as she searched his face for any hint of gentleness, but only a cold stare met hers. 

"Now." He growled. 

Casey winced before quickly scurrying past her uncle and into the house. She could hear him slam the door shut behind him and lock it, then heavy footsteps making their way towards her. Casey wanted to bolt to her room and slam the door in his face, but that wouldn't do any good. Her door didn't even have a lock. Instead, she turned around and braced herself as she was met with a hard slap to the face that nearly knocked her over. Casey didn't cry out, but it stung and hurt like several bee stings. 

"Hiding in detention won't do nothing. You are going to get what you deserve." Uncle John bellowed as his huge frame loomed over Casey. His finger pointed accusingly pressed under her chin. She looked up at him with watery eyes and a quivering lip. 

"I'm sorry." 

"This is the last time you try to run away, and the last time you get detention, you hear me? The next time this happens, I'm going to start burning you again. I thought you learned you're lesson awhile ago, but nah. You're an idiot just like your daddy." Uncle John sneered. He stepped back, giving Casey enough room to breathe. He gave her one final glare before stomping off into the living room, leaving her standing in the hallway shaking. 

Slowly, Casey turned around and walked down the hallway to her room. She slipped inside, shutting the door quietly behind her. Walking over to her bed, she collapsed onto it, breaking into sobs. Insulting her father was a low blow that always got under her skin. Casey wanted nothing more than to defend the only person who ever really loved her, but she couldn't stand up to her uncle. He was too physically powerful even as he aged. When she was little, and he would abuse her in worse ways than he did now, Casey always thought of him as an evil giant. The threat he made of burning her again held little weight as she already had lived through the worst pain he could deal. It had been over a year since he'd burned her, and the scars were well healed. Casey was already tempted to try running away again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the positive feedback! I'm excited to keep writing this story! :)

Barry woke up, but his eyes were already open and focused on the road ahead. Yellow and white lines stretching on endlessly over black tar. When Barry realized he was in a moving car, and driving this moving car, he quickly hit the breaks and let out a frightened gasp. A car driving behind Barry beeped and drove past him. Through the window Barry noticed the driver flip him off. Barry couldn't react, too terrified to move. Eventually, he took a few deep breaths and pulled his car over to the side of the road. He recognized the interior of the car as his own car and not someone else's. A huge relief. 

"Thank goodness." Barry sighed, leaning his head back. 

Barry looked down at himself to find he was still in his own stylish clothes. Another relief. However, Barry couldn't decipher which one of the others was driving the car or where they were going. Barry looked around and saw nothing distinguishing in the environment, just trees, until his eyes landed on a sign directing drivers towards a school a few miles ahead. 

"School? Why a school?" Barry questioned, "Jade? Hedwig? Either of you care to explain this?" 

"Like I motherfucking know?" Jade mumbled, "I told you I don't care about school, and I don't know how to drive." 

"Okay fine. Hedwig?" Barry asked a little more gently. 

Hedwig hesitated to answer. "I dunno, sorry Barry." The little boy said with a lisp. 

"Ok, well someone took the light without my saying so, and drove us out to the middle of nowhere, so guys I'm kind of pissed." Barry warned. 

"Can we just hurry up and get back home? This is freaking me out." Jade wined. 

Barry took another deep breath. He noticed that these past few days after the incident at the zoo, things were going amiss. Everyone had been upset and horrified by what happened, aside from Patricia and Dennis who kept whispering ominous things. Barry tried to ignore them and keep focused on work. He desperately needed to see Dr. Fletcher and discuss all this with her. He decided when they arrive back home, he'd write her an email. Barry checked his watch to find that it was mid day and he had been out of the light for two hours. As upsetting as this was, Barry had no idea who to blame. Only a handful of alters knew how to drive, and Dennis and Patricia were forbidden from the light. 

"Ok, lets go home." He sighed. 

\---

Casey had never attempted hitchhiking before, having been far too young up to this point for any stranger to want to pick her up. Now that she was nineteen and appeared more adult, hitchhiking was a real option. She had run away from home in the night while Uncle John was sleeping, taking only a backpack of belongings with her. Walking for miles down the road, Casey searched ahead for any cars driving past, all the while keeping her eye out for the police. Uncle John was pals with the local cops who viewed Casey as a troubled and burdensome kid for her uncle to care for. She had been forced into silence, into being a victim, for too long. Casey was grown up now, and completely done dealing with her abuser. 

Normally when Casey would run away, she would hide in the woods or in neighbor's backyards. Tonight was different, she felt brave. Spotting a car's headlights shining In the distance, Casey readied herself. She stuck out her thumb and stepped farther into the road. 

The car raced past without even slowing down. Casey sighed, defeated. She had to hurry and get a ride or else she'd be forced to hide again, and the cops always found her when she hid. Casey took out her phone from her hoodie's pocket and checked the time. Five AM. More cars should be driving through, but uncle John would wake up soon only to find his niece gone. 

Casey looked to the Rosary wrapped around her wrist. God had never protected her from her uncle, but perhaps he'd offer her a miracle now. The glow of another car's headlights ahead gave Casey a glimmer of hope. Once again, she stuck out her thumb. 

The car sped closer and closer, appearing like it had no intention of stoping. When it's headlights illuminated Casey, however, the car began to slow down. Casey let out a gasp in relief and quickly raced over to the driver's window. The gentle face of a smiling old man greeted her. 

"What are you doing walking these roads so early in the morning miss?" The old man asked softly. 

"I'm trying to get to the city. A friend borrowed my car so I'm a bit stranded. Are you heading out that way sir?" Casey asked. 

"I am actually! Please hop on in." 

"Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!" Casey said, breathless from relief. 

Casey walked around the car to the passengers side and jumped in, placing her backpack in her lap. 

"Would you like any money?" Casey asked, "I have some." 

"Nah miss! That's okay," He said with a warm smile, "it's really no problem. Feel free to snooze if you need to. I'll wake you up when we get near the city." 

"Thank you." Casey said graciously as they began their drive. 

\--- 

The clock struck nine AM, just then, Dr. Fletcher received an expected knock on her door. She made her way over to unlock it and opened it to find Barry's bright smile greeting her. In his arms he held a folder and Dr. Fletcher could spy fragments of artwork poking out. 

"Hello Barry! It's good to see you! Please come in and sit down." Dr. Fletcher invited. 

Barry did so, walking past the psychiatrist and taking his seat in one of the chairs. He looked around the room he had seen many times before, and noticed a few things moved around and changed.

"I like what you did with the space, gives a more open airy feeling." Barry commented. 

"Why thank you Barry," Dr. Fletcher said sweetly, "Would you like anything to drink? Water, tea, coffee?" 

Barry shook his head. 

"So," Dr. Fletcher began, "You emailed me yesterday for an emergency meeting, but you seem calm at this moment. Did something happen yesterday?" 

"Well actually it happened a few days ago. I should've emailed you sooner but it's something that I don't really know how to talk about." Barry said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. 

"What happened?" 

"There was an incident at work." 

"Did someone harass you?" 

"Yes, but it was worse than normal. I can deal with assholes and creeps but these were... kids, Doctor." 

Her eyes narrowed, "Go on." 

"This high school from Camden New Jersey visited the zoo, and everything was going great, but then these two seventeen or eighteen year old girls came up to me and..." Barry looked away, ashamed and distraught, "they pulled a prank, or a dare or something. They forced my hands under their shirts, Dr. Fletcher." 

"Oh Barry, I'm so sorry. I can only imagine that brought up horrible memories of abuse for you." Dr. Fletcher said gravely. 

"It did, I've been upset for days. I'm glad I'm keeping it together right now but hell I might cry about it again later. The strange stuff is it's been making Dennis and Patricia talk real weird and... yesterday I woke up driving towards this school outside the city. I still haven't figured out who did that. I'm just really worried." 

Dr. Fletcher offered a sad smile. She walked over to stand beside Barry and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Barry, I promise you'll be ok. I have a theory on what may be happening. I think the incident may have triggered the suppressed identities to take the light. One of them may have been driving towards the school out of confusion."

"You don't think was anything sinister do you?" 

"I don't think any of you are capable of anything bad. You've got a good heart, Barry." 

Barry smiled weakly. "Thank you." 

"Now, why don't you show me those drawings? I'd love to see your latest fashion concepts." 

Barry's smile grew. "Well, alright." 

The rest of the meeting went by pleasantly chatting while Barry showed off his work. Dr. Fletcher discussed her future plans for proving the validity of Dissociative Identity Disorder and the two gossiped a little about a crush she had on one of her colleagues. Barry left her office feeling vastly more confident than when he entered. He couldn't help but let himself smile as he left the building and walked down the street to his car. 

The street was nearly empty, Barry's car was in sight. The planted trees stood tall in rows as their crisp colored leaves were blown off of them. Barry loved the houses on this street, each of them being a different bright color with black wrought iron accents. He figured someday he'd like to move into an apartment building like that, one where he could decorate the space in quirky ways and not have it feel like such a creepy underground lair. Ahead, Barry spotted an older couple walking by, both dressed in fall coats. This was a good season for fashion, Barry mused. 

The couple ducked into one of the apartments, and a girl walking behind them was revealed. Barry was struck by the long length of the girl's dark hair and how it blowed back in the mild wind. From far away, it looked like a swirling storm cloud. She was dressed all in black. A black backpack and a hoodie covered her torso while her long legs, covered by leggings, took small steps forward. Boots covered her feet, and her hands were holding her arms, hugging herself. Barry thought she looked cold. He felt struck by the sudden urge to sketch her. Barry stopped walking midway to his car and watched her get closer. More details came in to view once she was twenty feet away. Far set dark eyes that looked at the ground were framed by long eyelashes. Pink pouted lips pointed up into a sharp cupid's bow. She had a beautifully unique face, Barry thought. 

Becoming conscious of how awkward he looked standing in the middle of the street and staring, Barry kept walking. He offered a smile when he walked past the girl but she only looked grimly at the ground. Once at his car, Barry stopped again and watched the girl walk farther and farther away. He sighed, got into his car, and started the engine.

"Time to go home." He said, slightly disappointed. 

When Barry woke up, he was parked on the same street he was just on, but much farther down the road. Barry's eyes were focused on the girl dressed in black who was now sitting on a bench, still holding herself. Barry immediately realized he had been out of the light for a brief period of time and cursed aloud in astonishment and anger. Once again, someone had driven the car, this time seeming to be in an attempt to follow the girl. Thankfully, the car was parked a good distance away from her, and she seemed to not have noticed it there. 

Barry took a few deep breathes, composed himself, and started the car once again. 

"We are going home!" He commanded, "No more sketchy stuff guys." 

Barry looked behind him as he put the car into reverse, and when he glanced back in the direction of the girl, he noticed she was now laying in the bench, curled up like a frightened animal. The hood of her hoodie was pulled over her head and her eyes were squeezed shut. She looked like she was crying. Barry recognized that this wasn't normal behavior. Alarms were set off in his head and he felt compelled to do something. He stopped the car. 

Walking over to the girl as she rested on the bench was nerve-wracking, even for someone as naturally social as Barry. There was a chance she was fine and just behaving oddly, but Barry didn't want to take that chance. If this girl needed help, Barry would get her help. 

"Hello miss? Are you okay?" Barry asked as he reached her. 

The girl's eyes popped open, rich brown orbs that reflected the light and twinkled. She blinked and quickly sat up, wiping tears from her face. 

"I um... Am I not allowed to lay here? I'm sorry." 

"Ha ha honey don't worry it's not my bench. I just saw you crying there and got concerned. Are you okay?" 

"I don't really know." 

"You don't seem like you're from around here. Did something happen? Do you need the cops or a doctor or anything?" 

The girl's eyes went wide. "No no! Please no cops! I haven't committed any crimes but I've run away from my home. I really can't go back there." 

Barry's brow furrowed in concern. He looked around to make sure the street was still vacant and kneeled down beside the girl. 

"I promise I won't call them. Were you being hurt at home?" 

She nodded and Barry felt his heart sink. 

"Do you have a plan? Or someone you can stay with out here?" He asked. 

"No, I have no one. I came out here because there's lots more people in the city, I figured someone might help me somehow." 

"Where are you from, then? How did you get here? 

"I'm from a more rural town outside of Philadelphia and I hitchhiked. Once I got here I threw my phone away so no one could track me and I've just been walking around since seven I think." 

"Oh babygirl... I'm so sorry. I'm no stranger to bad living situations, so I think it's very brave you chose to run away. I just wish there was a safe place for you to go." 

"I appreciate your concern." The girl spoke somberly, "I wish there was too." 

Barry was at a loss for words. He wanted to offer her his place to stay at, but he was a stranger on the street and how illegal and creepy would that be? This girl needed help though, and knowing she had a troubled home life made Barry empathize with her further. He sighed, giving in and hoping not to be perceived the wrong way. 

"What's your name?" Barry asked. 

"Casey." She replied. 

"Well, Casey. It will get really cold tonight, and I don't think that old hoodie is going to cut it. If you feel comfortable doing so, you're welcome to stay with me for the night." 

"Really?" Casey asked startled, her eyes lighting up. 

"Yeah." Barry chuckled, "I feel extraordinarily creepy suggesting this but like, I really don't want you to die. My name's Barry by the way." 

"Barry." Casey repeated, smiling now. She outstretched her arm, took his hand, and shook it. "Nice to meet you." 

"You too." Barry said, nodding. 

"I think I'll take you up on the offer." Where do you live?" 

"It's a little strange. Can I explain on the drive there?" 

"Sure."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope everyone is enjoying this story so far! :) The new Glass trailer has me quaking. What did y'all think of it?

Walking up to the back entrance of the Philadelphia zoo, with Barry's jacket wrapped around her shoulders and his arm around her, felt like an odd dream. As Barry guided Casey to the imposing gates, she looked all around trying to decipher if this was real or not. Barry's kindness had been made clear as the two laughed and joked the whole car ride over and every doubt or fear Casey may have felt melted out of her. Barry was kindhearted and jovial and very open. Casey found herself able to let her guard down around him. 

Barry took out an impressive set of keys from his pants pocket and opened the huge gates gracefully. They creaked and moaned but opened plenty wide for both Barry and Casey to slip through. Locking the gates behind them, Barry then quickly lead Casey past the animal exhibits, not wanting to draw any attention. Casey couldn't help but stare in awe as tigers and monkeys looked at her curiously through the fences. Barry noticed Casey's wide eyes and smiled to himself. 

"I'll tell you all about them later, their names and what not." 

"I still can't believe you get to live and work here. This is incredible." 

"Well, I'll warn you now the underground place I stay in is a little unpleasant. I've never really had a guest before, so I apologize in advance for the area being a mess." 

Just as storm clouds began to form in the afternoon sky, they came upon a door connected to a small building that seemed to creep slowly into the ground. Located behind the massive education center, it had a slight ominous feeling to it. Above the door was a red sign stating "Employees Only" Unlocking and opening the door, they faced a concrete stairway descending sharply downwards into darkness. Barry reached over and flicked on a light switch. An overhead light buzzed to life and cast the stairs in a shade of flickering yellow. 

"Home sweet home." Barry giggled nervously. 

Casey turned and grinned at Barry. "I promise I'm really not bothered by it. You don't creep me out, and I know what creeps are like." 

"I suppose I do too." Barry sighed. "C'mon, sweetheart I'll lead you down safely." He said, outstretching his hand. 

Casey took his hand, trusting him and feeling a security she could vaguely remember feeling when she was young. 

As they descended the stairs, Casey couldn't help but notice the hum of electricity coursing through the lights and machinery. It was claustrophobic, being that there were no windows. After leaving the stairway and entering another hallway, Casey found herself surrounded by hissing pipes and industrial equipment. The scene looked like something out of a scary film. 

"Still feeling ok?" Barry asked shyly. 

"Yeah," Casey nodded, "I trust you." 

Barry continued leading Casey through the tunnel until they reached another door. Once through this door, Casey felt the tension leave her body. They were in a clean, better lit hallway with many doors leading into different rooms and closets. The air was warmer in this area. Barry stepped ahead and gestured for Casey to keep following him. They entered a small neat kitchen. In the center was a wooden table that could seat about three and a countertop to the right with a couple shelves above it. The shelves were stocked with canned foods and candles. A refrigerator stood next to that. Immediately, Casey noticed something strange. Many colorful notes were taped to the wall above the sink, the shelves, and refrigerator. The notes read things like: "Don't forget to wash your hands!" "Cookies are on the top shelf because they are only for desert, Hedwig." "Orwell has lunch on Tuesdays. Jade has lunch on Wednesdays." 

Casey's head tilted in confusion and as she was about to speak Barry followed her gaze. He chuckled with embarrassment when he saw that she had noticed the notes. 

"I'm sorry, that must be pretty confusing. I should've told you this on the ride over but..." 

"Do you have kids?" Casey asked curiously. 

"No, well um, it's complicated. I um, I don't know if they taught psychology in your school but I have a mental illness called DID. Dissociative Identity Disorder." 

"I'm afraid I wasn't a very good student so I don't know what that is. I'm not afraid of you, though. I don't think it's right to judge people for things they can't help." Casey said. 

Barry breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you honey, I really appreciate that. DID basically means I have multiple people living inside my head and we all take turns inhabiting the body. I actually am one of the other people. I'm not the host or original person." 

Casey took a seat at the table and folded her hands together, looking up at Barry with a sense of wonder. "I think that's really intriguing. Is it... hard to deal with? How many people are there? Sorry if I'm asking invasive questions, I've just never met anyone with this before." 

"Haha no, it's ok! Yeah it can be difficult for a wide array of reasons. A lot of people with the disorder really struggle with it so I'm one of many. There's twenty three of us in this body. Some are kids, some are women, some are never ever out or in the light. It's a really complex way the brain deals with trauma." Barry explained. 

"Trauma." Casey repeated, looking down at the ground now. "I guess that's something we have in common." 

"I don't want to pry," Barry said, now also sitting down at the table, "but it was a family member that hurt you in your home wasn't it?" 

"Yeah." Casey said without reluctance or shame. "My uncle." 

Barry looked at Casey with an understanding that Casey could feel reach her from across the table. His blue eyes pierced through her and she felt her lips part as a gasp escaped her. No one ever had looked at Casey with the compassion Barry had. He took one of her hands carefully in his and squeezed it. 

"My Mom used to hurt the host and a few of the others. We lived with her until we were eighteen. She died when we turned twenty four. How old are you again?" Barry asked. 

"Nineteen." Casey replied. 

"This is your first time being free from him, isn't it?" 

"Pretty much. My other attempts at running away always failed. I never thought someone would be brave enough to help me. But you... you are amazing, Barry." 

Barry blushed, looking away shyly. He stood from the table and walked over to the refrigerator. 

"You hungry?" Barry asked. "How long has it been since you've eaten?" 

"I suppose I should eat." 

Barry wasted no time preparing some cut fruit and a glass of water for Casey. He delicately set down the food before her and the two shared a brief smile. Seeing Casey warm and cheerful made Barry feel a lightness in his heart. 

"Go ahead and eat, I'll be right back to sort through what frozen meals we have. I'm gonna go ahead and start washing the bedsheets. You're taking my bed, by the way." 

"Oh no! It's really no trouble I'm perfectly fine on couches or the floor or wherever!" 

"Honey, I insist! Take the bed!" 

"Okay, okay, thank you." she said, popping a piece of fruit in her mouth. 

\---

After Casey finished her meal, Barry returned to announce that the bed was made. He took her plate and dropped it in the sink before sitting down again with her at the table. 

"So Casey, I'm thinking of a plan. We gotta get you away from your uncle for good." Barry said seriously. 

"How? I know the cops are looking for me now. They will return me to him. They won't believe me when I tell them he hurts me." 

"Well, again, I hate to pry, but is there any physical evidence he's hurt you?" 

"Yeah, I have some abuse scars, but they are mixed with self harm scars. He always insists they are all self harm scars." 

Barry nodded somberly. "Yeah, it's hard being young and stuck with a evil legal guardian. I know there's gotta be a way we can fix this." 

"Listen Barry, I don't want to drag you down in this with me. I'll stay the night and then tomorrow I'll be gone." 

Barry's gaze became sharper, his breathing seemed to hitch and he almost winced. He shook his head and grasped both of Casey's hands. "You are going to stay here as long as you need to. I'm not just going to let you go out there and get hurt more." 

"But if they find me here you'll get in serious trouble!" 

"They won't find you here, I promise." 

Casey sighed, looking away. "Okay." 

The corners of Barry's mouth crept upward into a small smile. He let go of her hands, stood up, and walked around the table to stand behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders encouragingly and laughed. "Things are really going to be ok! I know it!" 

Casey leaned back to peer up at Barry with her large eyes. Positive physical contact felt foreign to her, but she found Barry's gentle guiding and touching to be comforting and she welcomed it. "I'm just sorry about what happened to you... and the others. Was nothing ever done about it?" 

Barry looked down at her, his smile now lined with a hint of sadness. "Oh babygirl, I'm afraid not all of us will get justice for the wrongs that have been done. But it's ok. We are thriving now. I feel really happy to have found you, too. You're a real sweet pal, Casey." 

"You're a real sweet pal too, Barry." Casey giggled. 

"Alright, let me show you around the place." Barry said, stepping back and spinning himself around. He snapped his fingers and pointed teasingly at Casey. 

Casey, feeling light and bubbly like she hadn't in years, stood from the chair, leaving Barry's jacket behind, and followed Barry into the next room. 

After showing Casey each room, the living space, the work room, an empty room with a bathroom in it, where she eagerly took a shower, and the little boy Hedwig's room, Barry led Casey into the last room which was a very small bedroom. The walls were painted a muted pink and a single painting of a forest landscape decorated the wall above the twin-sized bed. On the bedside table were a few stacked books, a flower vase, and a lamp. 

"You're welcome to read those books if you like." Barry encouraged, "There's a thriller, a fantasy, and a romance." 

"Oooh!" Casey teased, "Who reads the romance?" 

Barry's face flushed red as he giggled and rubbed the back of his neck. "That would be me. I can't help it. I'm a sap!" 

Casey smiled big. "I think thats sweet! I might have to give it a read now. Do you have the time by the way?" 

Barry looked to the watch on his wrist. "About six PM." 

"Okay, I guess I should probably try to rest. Thank you so much, Barry. For everything. If um... the other identities are around should I meet them?" 

"Of course! I promise any of the others you'll see out are perfectly nice people. Hedwig can be a little much, but Jade, Orwell, and Heinrich are alright. I decide who gets time in the light, so there's really nothing to be worried about." Barry said, immediately questioning the truthfulness of his own words. The reason he picked up Casey was because another identity drove him to her, and Barry was still nervous as to who this identity was. Barry was confident enough that he was in control, however. Patricia and Dennis had been silent all day so that was encouraging. 

Casey made her way over to the bed, plopping herself down on it. "Well, I hope you have a good night. I promise I won't leave in the morning. Besides, I'll probably want to know how that romance novel ends."

"Haha! Alright, alright." Barry rolled his eyes. "I hope you sleep okay. Goodnight Casey." 

"Goodnight Barry." 

Barry quietly eased the door shut, taking the last moment to peer at Casey through the crack in the door. She had wrapped herself in the covers without undressing at all aside from kicking her boots off. Barry figured she must be cold until he remembered that she said she had self harm scars. She may not like to look at herself for that reason, or maybe she doesn't like to feel them. Clothing in a way provides a shield against unwanted touch. That could be it, Barry thought. 

As his heart ached for Casey, Barry made his way over to another room to gather his note making supplies. Returning to the bedroom door, he quickly scribbled up a note saying: "Our guest is sleeping, please do not disturb." 

Satisfied the others would obey his note, Barry relaxed and walked down the hallway to the work room. The fashion sketches that decorated the walls there were dimly lit by his desk lamp. He looked at his old drawings appreciatively and then sat himself down at the desk with a fresh piece of paper already placed in front of him. He couldn't help it. As soon as he picked up a pencil he started drawing her. Casey's eyes were hard to capture perfectly, they were so unique, but Barry managed somehow to draw the image he first saw of her, Casey's dark hair swirling in the wind and her arms holding herself tightly from the cold. The only change was that he drew her in a light flowing dress.


	4. Chapter 4

Casey woke up. She unwrapped herself from the layers of blankets that covered her enough to reach over and switch on the bedside lamp. She half expected to wake up in her uncle's house, but the realization she was in a safe place sent a wave of comfort through her. She fell back asleep briefly before at last easing herself to sit upright. Being that there were no windows to indicate daylight or time, Casey had to rely on Barry, or whoever was out in the light, for that information.

Looking to the bedside table, Casey noticed the stack of books. She figured she may as well read a bit of the romance novel like she said she would. She brought the book into her lap and flicked through the pages until a few words caught her eye. The content of the story was practically oozing with love. Casey couldn't help but smirk. Barry really was a sap. A part of her wondered if Barry had ever had a relationship. As a victim of abuse, Casey never found herself wanting one. She knew Barry, or rather the others, had been abused too, so perhaps he was in a similar situation as her. They may both be longing for comfort and trust but never able to let their guard down enough to reach it. 

As Casey continued reading, she found herself mildly enchanted by the characters passions and struggles. It was a basic love story, not that Casey often read anything at all enough to judge, but it ended sweetly and Casey felt satisfied with the conclusion. She closed the book and set it pack on the pile. Surely now enough time had passed for Casey to get up and search for her friend. 

Hopping out of the bed, Casey put her boots back on and approached the door. She stopped when she noticed a bright yellow square on the concrete floor just before the door. It was a note. Casey picked it up and felt herself grow cheerful as she read it. 

"Dear Casey, 

Hope you slept well babygirl! Im going to be working most of the day but please make yourself at home! Jade offered up some of her old clothes for you although everything she wears is a hot pink mess. Bleh. I'm actually trying to design something for you to wear but I need a few more nights to work on it. Anyways, help yourself to the food in the fridge. Either Orwell or Jade will be meeting you when we get back today.

Hugs and kisses, Barry" 

The term of endearment "babygirl" was starting to grow on Casey. She felt herself wanting to call Barry a fun nickname in return. Her mind then began buzzing with ideas of what Jade or Orwell would be like. Hopefully they would be kind and be ok with her being in their home. 

Lightly pushing the door open, Casey peered out to see an empty corridor. She walked past Hedwig's room and turned the corner to look down the main hallway. She decided to go into the kitchen and then the living area where there was a couch. There was a wall of cluttered shelves above the couch where Casey spied a few more books. Curious, she brought them down and began skimming through them. There wasn't a tv down here, so Casey figured she better get back into reading. 

\---

After Barry finished his work at the zoo, he skipped down the street and quickly grabbed coffee and a treat from a nearby coffee shop. He didn't know if Casey liked coffee or sweets, but he figured he'd offer it to her anyways to make up for leaving her alone with little to do all day. 

"Hey, can I come out now? I want to meet you're new motherfucking girlfriend." Jade said teasingly.

"She's not my girlfriend, Jade. She's our guest and you better be nice to her. You can take the light, just make sure the treats get to her." 

"Will do, honey, sweetheart, babygirl!" 

"Shuuut uuup." Barry groaned as his consciousness faded into the background. Jade giggled as she came forward, amused by Barry's reaction. She strutted down the street, holding the bag and coffee in one hand while taking out her phone from Barry's pocket with the other. She checked the news, got bored, and moved on to watching beauty vlogs on YouTube as she walked home. 

Arriving at the zoo gates, Jade put her phone away and fumbled with the keys. She got through the gates, but before she could reach the entrance to her underground home, a smiling coworker approached her. 

"Ugh." She grunted under her breath. 

"Hi Barry!" The woman said cheerfully. 

"Heeeeeey!" Jade said uncomfortably. 

"Barry, you know you left a drawing in the break room, right?" 

"Oh! I did? Oopsy daisy! I'll be sure to grab that tomorrow! See ya around then, friend!" Said Jade, quickly scurrying off, leaving the coworker with a puzzled look on her face.

After entering the underground lair, Jade let out a sigh of relief. She made her way down the stairs and then the scary hallway and then into the proper living space. She set down the coffee on the kitchen table. Without hesitation, she began tearing off Barry's jacket and hat. When Jade got to the room with the clothing rack, she lazily tossed Barry's outfit over it before pulling out her own clothes. She slipped on her tube top, leggings, and signature pink hoodie. She looked in the nearby mirror once, shrugged, and walked back out into the main hallway. 

"Um hello? Casey? I'm Jade. Where are you?" 

Out from one of the rooms walked Casey. She had a curious expression on her face but quickly smiled and approached Jade with her arm extended. 

"Hi, I'm Casey, Barry's friend." She said. 

Jade shook Casey's hand and offered a coy smile. "Oh I'm aware of you. It's nice to meet you. It's funny, I'm nineteen too. I don't get to hang out with many people my age so like, what are you into?" 

"My interests?" Casey said, slightly perplexed, "Well um, I guess I like reading. I read a lot today. I guess I'm not really up to date on what kids our age find cool." 

"That's ok. You've got a neat style, I like your hair." Jade said. 

"Hey thanks! I like your style too." 

"Oh, by the way, I left some coffee and food for you on the kitchen table if you want it." 

"That's awesome, I'll be sure to try it. Thank you! " 

"Yeah um, I've got some nail polish. I'm not allowed to wear it very often but I like applying it, so like, can I do your nails?" 

Casey's mouth spread into a pleased grin. Jade seemed to be accepting of Casey's being there, and Casey found that seeing someone she knew as Barry become someone totally different wasn't that jarring. Jade was undoubtedly her own person. 

"Alright, that'd be cool!" Casey said. 

\---

Casey waited patiently as Jade meticulously and carefully painted Casey's last pinkie nail a shade of shimmering near-black purple. Jade then checked her work, holding Casey's hands up to a light and inspecting the neatness of the polish. Satisfied, Jade set Casey's hands back in her lap and instructed Casey to let her nails dry for five minutes. 

"Thank you Jade, I love the color!" Casey said, flexing and spreading her fingers. 

"Yeah I think it suites you," Jade said, nodding, "So like, not to be nosey, but like, what's the deal with you staying here? Barry won't tell me because he says it's personal, but I figured I'd ask." 

"My home is kind of abusive. My uncle hurts me." Casey said simply, trying not to think about it too hard. 

"Oh shit. I'm sorry." Jade paused, seeming to think for a moment, "That really fucking sucks." 

Jade's phone abruptly buzzed in her pocket. Jade rolled her eyes and let out a irritated noise. "I'm sorry, one second. Fucking insulin shots." 

"It's ok, take your time." Said Casey as she watched Jade get up and walk over to a wall of shelves. 

Jade took down a purse from a higher shelf, her body stretching as she reached up to grab it. From the purse she pulled out a needle. Casey looked on, mildly intrigued. Jade gave herself the shot, flinching slightly as she did so. "Motherfucking ow." Once finished, Jade placed the needle back inside the purse and set it back on the high shelf. She turned around and walked back over to where Casey sat on the ground. 

"Ugh I hate that I have to do that." Jade said as she kneeled down in front of Casey. 

"Yeah that didn't seem fun." 

"Out of the whole system I'm literally the only one who has diabetes." 

"Really? How does that happen?" 

"I wish I knew." Jade huffed. 

There was a beat of silence before Casey thought of something Jade might prefer to talk about. 

"So, what music do you like?" Asked Casey.

"A lot of music. Mostly pop and hard rock. What about you, Casey?" 

"Well, I guess I don't often listen to music, but when I do it's usually punk or rock." 

"Nice. I've got a playlist on my phone if you'd like to listen to it?" 

"Sure!" 

Jade took out her phone, turned on her playlist, and set the phone down on the ground. Moments later, grainy music was blasting through the air. Casey listened to the energizing beat and fast angry lyrics of the song with interest. Jade shut her eyes and nodded her head to the rhythm, humming along. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and checked Casey's hands. 

"Your nails are dry." 

"Cool." Casey said, shifting her seated position to get more comfortable. 

Jade looked at Casey thoughtfully for a moment, then looked away. "I think Barry likes you." She stated, picking something out from under her own nail, seeming disinterested. 

Casey tilted her head at Jade. "Yeah! I like him too. He's a real sweet-" 

"No I mean like I think he finds you beautiful and nice and like, ya know." Jade said, now looking at Casey. 

"Oh. Well, that's ok. I guess I don't really know how I feel. I'm not sure if I even can feel that way but... I also don't know how that would work for the rest of you?" 

Jade smirked. "We have a rule. We all have to approve of a person if one of us wants to date them. That has never happened. Why don't you feel like you can like someone though? There's no shame in it." 

"I guess I've just never ever felt it. I'm sorry for you guys, though. That must be frustrating." 

"It's alright," Jade sighed, "I guess we're all just loners. Anyways, I gotta go. It's Barry's turn again. Please don't tell him I said anything okay?" 

"I won't," Casey promised, "Thank you again, Jade." 

Jade picked up her phone, stood up, winked at Casey, and then walked out of the room. The sudden silence left Casey feeling funny as she reflected on meeting Jade. Several minutes later, Barry marched into the room and crouched beside Casey. 

"Hey sweetheart, Jade wasn't a bitch to you was she?" Barry asked, only half joking. 

"I like her! Look! She painted my nails!" Casey said, showing off her hands to Barry. 

"Aww that's awesome!" Barry chuckled, visibly relieved. 

"Really, I like her! She's nice!" Casey insisted. 

"Okay good. Did you like your coffee?" 

"I did!" 

"Good! I'm so sorry if you were bored all day-"

"No no! I liked reading. Your love novel was pretty cute." 

Barry's cheeks flushed red. "Ha! Well good! I um, just found something you might like." 

Barry began digging through his pockets until he finally pulled out a wrist watch similar to what he wore himself. He handed it to Casey who inspected it as it rested in her palm. 

"That's so you can tell the time. I feel bad I didn't realize we had a spare until the middle of the day." 

"It's all good! Thank you Barry!" Casey said, securing the watch around her wrist. 

"Do you maybe wanna go out tonight and watch a movie?" Barry asked, now sitting down beside Casey. 

"I would love to... but I'm paranoid the cops will find me..." 

"They won't recognize you. I have an idea." Barry said with an impish grin. 

\--- 

Casey walked out of the bathroom wearing Mary Reynolds clothes. Barry was waiting outside the room for her and he smiled gleefully when his eyes landed on Casey. She was dressed in a muted floral blouse, a tan long skirt, white stockings, and the biggest change: a blonde wig. Casey smiled shyly as Barry stepped closer and looked her over. He nodded approvingly. 

"I think you look great sweetie!" He said, brushing some of the blonde hairs from her face. 

"I think this may work, I certainly look different." Said Casey, turning back to look into the small bathroom mirror. 

"Last thing we need is a coat! It's chilly out there!" Barry said, running into the next room to grab a jacket off the rack. 

Barry slipped the jacket over Casey's shoulders, looking up to find Casey staring at him through the mirror. She blinked and smiled softly. Barry smiled in return, squeezing her shoulders. 

"You ready?" Asked Barry. 

"Ready." Replied Casey. 

\---

Driving back home after the movie, Casey and Barry got themselves into fits of laughter over the film they had just watched together. They had chosen a thriller, but to them it felt more like a comedy. Both had experienced real terror in their lives and felt comfortable enough to find amusement in the fictional peril of characters making poor choices. They had shared popcorn and a soda and had no qualms about whispering to each other in the back of the near-empty theater. 

"No no wait wait wait! When the lead literally threw her phone at the stalker," Barry wheezed, "I lost it at that point!" 

"Oh my god I knooow!" Casey giggled, "I can't believe she actually did that!" 

"And the twist! Honey... her stalker being her own long lost daughter!? What?!" 

"Listen, that was messed up!" Casey said, shaking her head, "I was expecting the ex boyfriend!" 

"Me too! At least it wasn't cliche!" Barry reasoned as he drove the car into the zoo employee parking lot. Turning off the ignition and twirling the keys in his hand, Barry turned to Casey who now had strands of her real dark hair poking out from underneath her wig. She was still giggling, a light dancing in her brown eyes. Barry swallowed, feeling suddenly anxious. He looked away. 

"Feeling ok?" Casey asked, reaching her hand out to hold onto his. 

Barry tensed up at her touch, but relaxed as her thumb began stroking his palm gently. He turned back to face her. 

"Ya know, I never thought I'd meet someone like you, Casey. You've been a great friend to me." 

"I could say the same! You've been more than generous to me. This is honestly the best I've felt since I was very young. I didn't know if I'd ever be able to trust anyone again, but... you're just amazing I guess." Casey sighed, studying Barry's face. He looked slightly sad underneath the mask of a big smile. His lovely blue eyes were weighted by something. 

"I really like you, Casey." He said somberly. 

"I know," Casey nodded, "I'm finding that I really like you too." 

"I wish you were a little older. I feel so creepy saying this but, i'd be lying if I said I wasn't infatuated with you, babygirl." He shyly spoke, no longer able to meet her gaze. 

Casey squeezed Barry's hand while unbuckling her seatbelt with her free hand. Barry was startled by her movements and now watched her, frozen. Once free, Casey leaned herself in close to Barry, their faces now only half a foot apart. Barry became lost in Casey's eyes, warmth and butterflies pooling through him. He bit his reddened lips, and franticly searched her eyes. 

"W-wait..." Barry whispered, "what are you doing?" 

"I... I guess I don't know." Casey admitted, blinking in confusion. She leaned back. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." 

"Oh sweetheart..." Barry gasped, "I'm sorry I... It'd just be wrong of me to..." 

Casey's arms wrapped around Barry's neck in a fierce hug. 

"It's ok. I'm perfectly happy just being your friend." Casey assured, holding Barry tight. 

They got out of the car after a few minutes and made their way to the back entrance of the zoo. It was dark outside now, and they held hands all the way back until they reached their underground home. 

"Goodnight Barry." Casey said, giving him one final hug for the day. 

"Goodnight Casey." Barry said, nuzzling against the side of her head. 

They let each other go, both holding on to each others warmth and their now familiar scents. With a final wave back and fourth, Casey turned and walked to her bedroom. Barry's eyes followed her until she turned the corner in the hallway and disappeared out of sight. Letting out a heavy sigh, Barry put his hands in his pockets and walked into the work room, intending to complete his dress for Casey. Upon entering the room, Barry, however, was abruptly gone. In his place, was Dennis. 

"Thank you, Hedwig." Dennis said quietly. He removed Barry's hat, setting it neatly down on a table. From the same table, he took a pair of glasses. These were Orwell's glasses, but they would do for now. Dennis scrubbed the lenses clean with the sleeve of Barry's hoodie before placing them over his furrowed brow. With a huff, Dennis then made his way into the kitchen to wash his hands and remove the rest of Barry's clothes. He neatly folded the clothes, setting them on the kitchen table. Walking into the room with the clothing wrack, Dennis selected his seldom worn outfit. Now feeling more comfortable, Dennis proceeded to step silently back into the main hallway. He crept past Hedwig's room and over to the bedroom where Casey was. Cautiously, Dennis opened the door and peered inside. Casey was asleep, rolled up in a cocoon of blankets. Dennis slipped inside the room, his gaze unwavering from Casey's softly breathing form. 

"So this is her." Dennis said. 

"Isn't she just lovely." Patricia whispered. 

Dennis was uncomfortably silent. 

"Now, you will restrain yourself won't you?" Patricia warned.

"Of course." Dennis snapped, mildly embarrassed as already intrusive thoughts about the girl began flooding his mind. 

"Very good. Let's let her be now. Poor sweet thing. She has no idea of what lies ahead of her." 

Dennis nodded, licking his lips in irritation. "Yeah." He grunted, turning around and leaving the room, "I just hope this all works out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all are doing well! :) Things will be getting more intense soon!


	5. Chapter 5

Eyes fluttering open, Casey stretched and yawned. Her body felt very warm and her mind was at peace. It was a remarkable feeling to simply wake up and know with certainty that she was going to be okay. Deep underground, protected by lions and tigers and Barry, Casey felt invincible. Her monster of an uncle had no idea where she was hiding, or how happy she was now able to be. Her thoughts then raced to Barry, and how last night for a few moments she had felt possessed to kiss him. She didn't understand why, but she felt guilty. Barry liked her and she had, in a way, harmed him for it. Determined to make it up to him, Casey pulled the covers off of herself and stood up. She brushed out her hair with her fingers and quickly made her way out of the bedroom. Once in the hallway, Casey paused. The underground home was very quiet aside from the hum of electricity from inside the walls and the lights. 

"Hello? Barry? Jade?" Casey called out gently. 

There was no response. Casey took a few more steps forward, passing Hedwig's room and rounding the corner. 

"Hello? Anybody here?" Casey asked, now assuming that Barry must be at work or something of the sort. She hadn't noticed any notes though. 

"Tag! You're it!" Someone shouted, tapping Casey on the shoulder from behind, causing her to jump, gasp, and spin around. 

Casey recognized their face, but the youthful energy that buzzed behind their blue eyes was very new to her. Coming down from the initial scare, Casey put together that the person in front of her might be the little boy, Hedwig. 

"Are you-" 

"My name's Hedwig. I have red socks!" He lisped, a big smile spread across his face. "You're Casey. Barry's girlfriend." 

"Oh no! Barry and I are friends! We um, like each other a lot but..." Casey trailed off, staring at Hedwig as he not so subtlety stared at her chest. 

"I have blue socks too." Hedwig giggled. 

"Barry told me you're nine. Um... what kind of stuff do you like to do for fun around here?" 

Hedwig snorted in laughter. "Play of course! Duh!" 

"Oh right, you tagged me. Do you want me to chase you?" 

"Hell yeah!" Hedwig said, lunging forwards and pushing past Casey. "Try and catch me!" He called out as he scurried down the main hallway. 

Casey began walking after him. Perplexed and mesmerized by this person she had only heard about up until now. She watched a blur of blue and yellow dash into the kitchen. Following him, Casey spied the boy curled up underneath the table. 

"I found you." Casey said. 

"Tag me, silly!" 

Casey chuckled as she crouched down and shuffled towards him. Hedwig beamed at her, eagerly anticipating her next move. Casey pounced, but Hedwig rolled himself out of the way and out from underneath the table. 

"Nice try!" He taunted, sticking his tongue out at Casey. 

Now she was determined. Laughing, she raced after Hedwig who led her back to his room. When Casey turned the corner, she didn't see him. There was only a empty room decorated with drawings and stuffed animals. Hedwig's pet mice squeaked and chirped from inside their tank. Casey then heard a poorly contained giggle erupt from nearby her. She turned and spotted Hedwig crouched down in a corner. 

"You found me! Good job!" 

"I still gotta tag you right?" Casey asked, stepping over to him. 

Hedwig nodded. Casey squatted down and gently tapped him on his head. 

"Got you, Hedwig." 

"Yeah, I let you win though." Hedwig boasted, standing up and stepping past Casey. 

"I guess you did." Casey sighed, standing up and walking after him. "I like your room. It's pretty cool." 

"Yeah I know. I got a cool baseball bat but I'm never allowed to play with it inside." Hedwig whined. 

"Are you allowed to go outside?" 

"No. Barry says that the people would get confused and we'd loose our job, but I don't think it's fair. They only snuck me out to see the zoo like... six times." 

"I'm sorry Hedwig. I'll play with you more if you want?" 

"Nah, I gotta let Den- I mean, Barry out into the light. He has to go to see the doctor lady today. Later we can play more though. I can show you my CD player." 

"Ok." Casey said cheerfully. 

When he turned around, it was clear that he was no longer Hedwig. He stood taller, the youthful energy in his eyes, gone. Quickly though, his hard features softened into a smile. 

"Hey!" Said Barry, looking around the room and down at himself. "So I guess you met Hedwig huh?" 

"Ha ha yeah. Don't worry, I may not know much about kids but he was really fun!"'

"Good, good! Well, I gotta go to therapy today. You think you'll be alright alone for a few hours?" 

"Of course!" Casey laughed. 

"Alright, I'll see ya later then!" Barry said, beginning to walk past Casey. 

"Wait, um... about last night..." Casey started, gently stopping Barry by reaching out her hand. 

Barry sharply turned to look at her. "Last night? What happened?" 

"I just wanted to apologize properly." 

"For?" 

"Trying to kiss you? I think?" 

"Oh." Barry blinked, looking away. His brow furrowed In thought and he licked his lips. 

"It's okay, honey," Barry finally said, "Don't worry about it. You're so sweet." He carefully reached out and stroked Casey's hair. "I'll be back later." 

With that, Barry left the room. Casey waited until she heard a door in the hallway shut before making her way out of Hedwig's room to allow Barry his privacy. Casey waited, saw Barry walk into the kitchen with his proper clothes on, and heard him exit the underground lair through the loud metal door. Sighing, Casey figured she best start on more reading today. She went back to the bedroom to inspect the other two books. Settling on one, Casey read. 

\---

"So Barry, how have things been?" Dr. Fletcher asked, seating herself in a leather chair across from where Dennis sat. 

Dennis stared at her, nervous but forcing a smile to appear anyways. "I've been well, I've been well. How about yourself?" 

"Oh I'm fine." Dr. Fletcher chuckled, swatting the air with her hand as if dismissing the question. 

"Are you sure?" 

"Well, that colleague I liked, things didn't work out." Dr. Fletcher sighed. "But I'm here to talk about you, Barry. Is everything still going alright? Any of your old concerns still bothering you?" 

"Nah." Dennis scrunched up his face in a mannerism like Barry would. "I've just been doing things as normal. Nothing really new is going on." He lied, his thoughts immediately racing back to Casey. 

"Well," Dr. Fletcher said, "I suppose this is good. Perhaps the identities that had been driving you around have relaxed. I'm still curious, however, about how the incident at work the other week may be affecting you." 

Dennis shook his head. "Dr. I promise everything and everyone is fine now. It was a lot to get over at first, but after talking through it with the others we've come to the conclusion that we are okay." 

"Well I'm glad to hear so!" Dr. Fletcher exclaimed, smiling sweetly, "I feared that perhaps, the banished identities might have tried to take the light again." 

Dennis was wracked with anxiety and could feel the tension in the air, but through it all he kept smiling. "Gee well, I'm glad they haven't." 

\---

When Dennis arrived back home, he found Casey laying across the bed with her face buried in the mystery novel Barry had been reading. When Casey noticed him standing in the doorway, she perked up and smiled. 

"Hey Barry! How'd it go?" 

It took Dennis a moment to take his eyes off Casey and regain his composure. He pinched his nose and hummed, finally looking back at her with a softer expression, he giggled. 

"Listen, it's alright. Not super fun though." 

"Well," Casey looked to check the watch on her wrist, "It's only three o' clock. Wanna go out and do something again?" She asked excitedly. 

Dennis strongly wanted to step closer to Casey. To smell her. To smooth out the wrinkles from her clothes, maybe caress her arms. To watch her dance for him. To remove her clothes and see if she really had abuse scars. To feel connected and close to another living person. He was rapidly loosing focus on his objective but quickly snapped himself out of his trance. 

"Um yeah we could do something. Maybe we could go on a walk in the park?" Dennis proposed. 

"That sounds excellent!" Casey said, rolling out of bed, leaving the sheets in a mess much to Dennis's dismay, "Shall we?" 

Dennis nodded, leading the way out the door with Casey following close behind. Dennis grew jealous thinking about how easy it was for Barry to find a companion. Dennis struggled with that more than anything else, his nature not allowing him to be much fun. Casey was clearly a decent person, and cared for them perhaps a little too much, but Dennis couldn't refuse her company even if he wanted to. Casey was going to serve a purpose, either as a friend, or as food. 

Casey and Dennis each put on warm jackets. Once bundled up, her hand coiled around his. Dennis felt his body go rigid as they walked together. Out the door, through the hallways, up the stairs, and out of the zoo gates. She let go of his hand then, and Dennis found he greatly craved for her hand to come back to his. 

"The park is just down the road a bit. You up for a walk?" Dennis asked. 

"Of course!" Casey giggled. 

Together, Dennis and Casey walked down the street. Cars drove past, along with the occasional pedestrian walking by, but neither of them felt nervous. With hats and scarfs and bulky coats, they looked just like anybody else. Casey noticed her friend was talking less, sensing a different energy from him. 

"Barry, are you sure therapy went alright?" Casey questioned, giving him a gentle nudge. 

Dennis flinched at the contact but quickly managed a laugh. "Yeah Casey it went fine! Don't worry! How are you feeling?" 

"I'm good! Honest!" Casey said, looking fondly at Barry. 

"Park is up ahead." Dennis announced, gesturing with a nod of his head. 

Casey gracefully leapt ahead of Dennis, letting out a gleeful noise. Casey surprised herself at how happy and comfortable she felt now. To express her joy was to be vulnerable, but being in the present moment, she felt safe enough to do so. 

"Wait up!" Dennis called out, not making any effort to run after her. He simply watched her, enchanted and fascinated. 

They began their walk through the chilly windswept park, the trees shivering as their colorful leaves were blown from their branches. They sky was grey with clouds, and Dennis felt relieved that not too many other people were in the park. Casey skipped along the path a few feet ahead of Dennis. She hummed, looking back at him every now and again. Dennis struggled to think of jokes Barry might tell, or thoughtful things to say. Just as he was about to break the silence. He noticed Casey had stopped moving. Without words, he followed her gaze and noticed what she was looking at. 

A girl with short curly brown hair stood in the corner of the park, next to a bench but not touching it. She was staring up at a tree, seeming to be intensely focused on it. There was no one else around her and she was underdressed for the cold weather. 

Casey looked to Dennis with a shrug. "She looks around my age. Do you think she's alright?" 

"I guess it is a little odd." Dennis replied. 

Casey got a determined look on her face. She stepped off the path and began walking towards the girl. She paused before reaching her. "Hello? Everything alright?" Casey spoke softly. 

The girl turned to face Casey. She had big brown eyes that seemed devoid of any emotion. Her mouth didn't smile or move at all. She just stared, almost like a fresh corpse. Casey noticed immediately that the girl was very pretty, and for whatever reason that made her more nervous. 

"Hi." The girl finally said, "Yeah I'm fine." 

"Aren't you kinda cold?" Asked Casey. 

"Nope. You're cute. What's you're name?" The girl said bluntly. 

"My name is Casey, what's yours?" Casey responded, a little flustered. 

"Amanda." She said. 

"Amanda," Casey repeated, "Well, as long as you're alright, I guess I'll let you be." 

"You should come back to this park tomorrow. Alone. I just want to talk." Amanda said abruptly. 

"Wait, do you know me? Are you from my school?" Casey whispered, alarmed. 

"No, I'm from Connecticut. I'm only here for one more day." 

"Oh. Well um... I suppose I could met you here tomorrow? Is there a reason why-" 

"Good. I'll see you at this time tomorrow then." Amanda said, turning back to face the trees. She resumed staring, leaving Casey at a loss for words. She walked back to Dennis, who gave her a confused look. 

"Is she ok?" Dennis asked. 

"Oh yeah she's fine. She uh... wants to meet me here tomorrow. Is that ok?" 

"What if it's a trick? She might be working with the police or your uncle." 

"Oh shush Barry I doubt it. I think she's just a little odd and wants some company. I dunno why, I just want to get to know her." 

With a sigh, Dennis nodded his head. "Alright, you can meet her here tomorrow. Just please be back at the zoo gates before dark. Around six o clock?" 

"I promise I will!" Casey insisted. 

"Okay." 

Casey wrapped herself around Dennis in a brief hug, leaving him breathless. He shook his head in an attempt to shake away the bad thoughts, but they came anyways, making the walk back home with Casey excruciating. 

\---

Once home, Dennis quickly said goodnight to Casey before entering the work room with the clothing rack and computer. He locked the door behind him just to be safe. He then removed Barry's clothes and put on his own, finally able to see clearly once his glasses were on. He buttoned his grey shirt up to his throat and let out a sigh in relief. Next, he started to furiously clean and scrub the empty room's bathroom. 

"We will need beds in here for the sacred food to rest." Patricia commented. 

"I know. I'm just not sure how to get them down here without Casey getting suspicious." 

"Tomorrow she will be gone for a few hours. Perfect opportunity." 

"You're right," Dennis agreed, "I'll do it then." 

"I am often right, dear Dennis." Patricia chided.

\---

Casey struggled to fall asleep. Her thoughts racing to Barry being distant and the strange girl in the park. Casey couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about both situations. Maybe Barry no longer liked Casey, and perhaps Amanda did. Casey hadn't fully realized her feelings about the whole thing, but her brain grew too tired to try and work through it any longer. She tossed and turned, until finally Casey faded into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! :) as I'm writing this story, I've grown very curious as to what you'd like to see as a conclusion for it! I have two ideas in mind, a happy ending or a dark ending. I'd also like to know who you think Casey should end up with! I'm leaning towards sweet Barry (if the Beast is stopped) but there's also Dennis, Patricia, Kevin, Jade, and now Amanda! Please let me know what you would like to see! ;) I have a few more chapter outlines already planned!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up! this chapter has romantic content

The next morning was quiet. Casey spent her day in the kitchen, reading books at the table to pass the time. Barry seemed to be keeping to himself, checking in on Casey periodically. The tension in the air was apparent as both anxiously waited for the afternoon to come. A little before three, Casey got up to see what Barry was doing. Before she could reach him in the work room, he met her in the hallway, wrapping his arms around her in a gentle hug. 

"Are you sure I can't just walk you to the park?" He asked. 

"She told me to come alone. I promise I'll be okay. If anything puts me off I'll come right back." 

"Alright. Just make sure you come back home before it gets dark. I'll be waiting at the gates around six. Sound good?" 

"Sounds perfect." Casey said, giving him a confident smile. She then went off to gather a few things in her backpack, leaving Dennis alone to sort through his troubled thoughts. Once packed with a water bottle, extra clothing layers, and a book, Casey announced that she was ready. Dennis quietly led her through the hallways, up the stairs, out of the building, and through the gates. 

"I'll see you at six, promise?" Dennis attempted to confirm. 

"Promise!" Casey called back, as she was already skipping away. 

Dennis watched Casey go until he could no longer see her. Lingering feelings of insecurity over the situation still danced in his mind. There was a chance she would not come back. Something bad could happen to her, or she could decide to just leave them. Nonetheless, Dennis found himself greatly wishing for her safe return. Spending so much time with her, he understood why Barry was so fond of her. He wanted more than anything to just be himself around Casey, and for her to accept him. 

"Ah ah, Dennis. Can't get too attached just yet. We need to see for certain that she is pure. I must see for myself." Patricia said, closing the gates and turning to walk back to the building. 

"What if she doesn't have scars?" Dennis challenged, "Does that mean she's impure?" 

"No. One can certainly be broken without physical evidence, but Casey said she has scars. If she does not have them, that makes her a clever little liar." 

"We will find out tonight, then." Dennis sighed. 

\---

Arriving at the park, Casey fidgeted with the zipper of her coat, attempting to bring it closer to her neck. It was a chilly day, the sky was grey and the trees creaked and moaned in the frigid breeze. Casey looked around and in no time spotted Amanda. She was standing in the exact same spot she was yesterday, staring upwards at the trees. Still underdressed for the weather, Amanda wore a grey skirt, long white socks, stylish boots, and a flannel shirt with a light jacket over that. Feeling nervous but also incredibly curious, Casey approached. 

Before Casey could reach Amanda, Amanda slowly spun on her heal to face Casey. Amanda's face was still ever devoid of any recognizable emotion, but the intensity that radiated from her eyes was enough to stop Casey in her tracks. 

"So um... Hi Amanda, what's up?" Casey said, feeling uncertain. 

"Hi Casey. Nothing. I'm glad you came. Let's go back to my hotel room and talk." 

Casey stood and stared, her brow furrowing and mouth gaping open. She searched Amanda's face for any hint of anything but found nothing there. 

"Umm why can't we talk here?" Casey asked. 

"I'm cold." Amanda said, shrugging. 

"Would you like my jacket?" Casey offered. 

"Nah, let's just go the room. It's only a short walk away from here." 

Every red flag in Casey's brain was going off, but curiosity was getting the better of her. She had already suffered so much in her life, why has she been putting herself in more risky situations? Barry had been a miracle, but going with him was a decision that if it had been any other person, could've gotten her killed. She had been desperate though, and now that she was safe, did she really want to potentially throw that all away? This girl, Amanda, how harmful could she be though? Casey was slightly taller than her, maybe stronger too. If anything went wrong, the zoo was only a ten minute walk away. She couldn't sense any malicious intent from Amanda either, but really, Casey couldn't sense any intent at all. She just had to know. 

Releasing a deep breath, Casey nodded. "Okay." 

Amanda gave a nod in response. "Cool." She said flatly. In a gesture that surprised Casey, Amanda reached out and took hold of her hand. Casey didn't resist. They started walking. 

The walk to the hotel was silent. Few people were out on the street today. Casey looked all around at the surroundings, making sure to keep track of how to get back. Amanda looked straight ahead, her grip on Casey's hand not too loose but not too tight. When they reached the hotel, Amanda let go of Casey's hand and held the entrance door open for her. 

"Thank you." Casey said. 

Casey followed Amanda up to the second story of the small hotel. The place had an eerie feeling about it and no guests or workers could be seen. Reaching the second floor hallway, Amanda took hold of Casey's hand again. A light flickered above them and moths were fluttering around it. Amanda eventually stopped at a door. The muted gold label read "twenty four." Amanda pulled out a key from her jacket pocket and opened the door. They walked inside, Amanda shutting the door behind them. Casey looked to make sure Amanda hadn't locked it. She hadn't. The room smelled clean, but not like chemicals. The soft glow of two peach-colored lamps lit up the space well. There were two simple beds, two nightstands, and a table with two chairs. A tv was mounted on the floral patterned wall. 

"My mom will be back around nine. So we have till then to hang out if you want to." Amanda said, flopping down onto one of the beds, looking up at Casey with those empty eyes. 

"I have to be back home around six." Casey said. 

"That's okay. I just wanted to talk with you. Who is that man you were with yesterday?" 

Casey blushed. "Well, he's my friend." 

"Are you sure you don't like him? Like, want to kiss him?" 

"I guess I'm conflicted about it," Casey admitted, "He's terribly kind and wonderful, but I haven't really felt any feelings like that before." 

"Really?" Amanda sat up as if she were interested, "Are you sure?" 

"Huh... in high school I kinda liked this girl, Marcia. She's beautiful and sweet, but she never got a good impression of me, I think. Plus, she definitely likes boys." 

"Hmm," Amanda hummed, seeming to consider Casey's words, "Would you like to know why I wanted to talk with you?" 

"Yeah, I can't help but be curious." Said Casey. 

"There's this girl back in Connecticut. Her name is Lily. We were childhood best friends. Rode horses together. You look so much like her I actually thought you were her. She's been tutoring me recently because my mom is paying her to. I don't really have any friends because I killed a horse." 

"Woah," whispered Casey, "Wait, why did you kill a horse?" 

"He was suffering." Amanda said simply. 

Casey stood in silence for a few moments, attempting to wrap her head around everything. She took a deep breath, and sat down on the bed beside Amanda. 

"I'm sorry. I guess you did what you had to do." Casey said. 

"Yeah. It's okay. I don't feel anything, so it wasn't difficult to do." Amanda spoke, turning to look at Casey. 

"Really? Like... nothing?" 

"Yeah. Sometimes I feel hungry, but like, that's about it. Other than that I haven't ever really felt happy or sad or angry."

"Huh. Did anything bad ever happen to you?" Casey asked. 

"Nope. I just don't feel emotions." 

"Then... you just brought me here to tell me I look like someone you know?" 

"I mean, we can make out or have sex if you want to." Amanda stated. 

Casey felt her face turn bright red, her eyes go wide, and an alarmed feeling rush through her body. "Umm..." 

"We definitely don't have to do anything if you don't want to," Amanda said, breaking the tension by looking away, "I guess I'm just trying to figure something out for myself." 

Casey took a few deep breaths to calm herself before she spoke again. "Do you think... you might like Lily?" She asked. 

Amanda tilted her head, her expression still without any feeling, but Casey noticed something in her eyes change. For a split second, they seemed to carry a hint of something Casey couldn't name. 

"I really don't know," Amanda said, "I never feel anything, but when I think of her or see her... something inside me makes me want to smile." 

"That's really something special," Casey whispered, "I hope you get to fully experience that feeling someday." 

Amanda looked at Casey, unabashedly staring directly into her eyes. "Can we kiss?" She asked, "I think it might be good for both of us." 

Casey felt her heart immediately start racing again. Her throat felt dry and her hands, she realized, were tightly gripping the bedsheets. Amanda's lips looked deliciously soft, and somehow in this short amount of time, Casey found herself trusting Amanda and feeling a strange connection with her. A part of Casey craved this connection badly, hence why she had attempted to kiss Barry the other night. In this moment, something felt really right. She leaned close to Amanda, enough to feel her soft breath tickle her lips. Casey nodded in agreement. She shut her eyes, and Amanda's lips pressed into hers. 

The sensation was odd, but very pleasant and comforting. Casey found that she liked it greatly as tingles coursed through her body. Amanda's hands reached up to hold Casey's face as the kiss grew deeper. Casey parted her lips to allow Amanda in closer. All of Casey's focus was on the sweet taste of Amanda's mouth. Their tongues slid over and under each other, and before Casey knew it, Amanda was on top of her. 

Casey had feared that if she ever kissed anyone, she would remember the rancid smell of her uncle's breath and the pressure of his hands around her throat. With Amanda, Casey remembered none of this. The moment they were sharing now felt like a happy dream. Casey allowed her own hands to roam over Amanda's back, settling on her waist. Amanda grunted, her hands moving up to unzip Casey's jacket. Once unzipped, Amanda moved the heavy fabric aside and ran her hands down Casey's sides. They found their way to Casey's stomach and slipped under her shirt before she could warn Amanda. 

Everything stopped so suddenly, Casey let out a moan in longing for it to continue. Amanda sat up, her hands still feeling Casey's scarred stomach. "How did you get these?" Asked Amanda. 

Casey let out a sigh in defeat. She sat up as well and looked at Amanda solemnly. "I cut myself." 

"Why?" 

"Because my uncle used to hurt me." 

Amanda said nothing. Wordlessly, she wrapped Casey in a tight hug. Casey couldn't help it, the tears came without warning. "I'm sorry," Casey whimpered, "I'm so sorry." 

"Don't be." Amanda said, patting Casey on the back. "I think you're going to be ok." 

"I think you're going to be ok too, Amanda." Casey sniffled. 

They held each other tight for a few moments longer. Casey stopped crying, and when she sat back, Amanda wiped the tears away with her sleeve. 

"Do you want to continue?" Casey asked shyly. 

"Do you?" Asked Amanda, "I feel like in your situation going farther might be too triggering." 

"I suppose so," Casey sighed, "Thank you so much for this. I can be happy knowing my first kiss was really nice." 

"I'm glad," Amanda said, smiling ever so slightly, "It's getting close to six. Want me to walk you back to the park?" 

"Oh no, I can manage myself, thank you. I want you to stay warm," Casey said with a sweet smile, "I really really hope things go well with Lily and you are able to find your feelings, Amanda." 

"Thank you, Casey. I hope you figure out your feelings about your friend." 

Casey grabbed her backpack that she had set on the floor, zipped her jacket back up, and made for the door. As she stepped out, she looked back at Amanda, knowing that this would be the last time she'd ever see her. 

"Goodbye." Casey called softly. 

"Goodbye." Said Amanda, her eyes fixated on Casey. 

Casey shut the door. 

\---

Casey's walk home was illuminated by a red sunset that colored the sky like a stain glass window. She checked the time, it was almost six, so presumably Barry would be waiting for her at the zoo gates. Feeling chilled, Casey huddled into herself, looking down as she walked. Several minutes passed before she reached the gates. Casey looked up to see Barry waiting for her at the entrance. He looked relieved to see her. 

"Hey!" He called out, "How'd it go?" 

"Went well!" Casey said, "Amanda just wanted to hang out, so we did, and it was really nice!" 

"Really? That's all she wanted?" 

"Yeah, she's a little odd, but very kind." 

"Well, that's great," said Dennis, "There's uh, someone else who'd like to meet you tonight." 

"Who?" 

"Miss Patricia. She's one of the others." 

"Oh cool! I'd be happy to meet her!" 

"Good," Dennis licked his lips, "Alright let's get you inside outta this cold." 

"Thanks Barry." Casey said, following him inside. 

\---

Casey sat and waited in the bedroom for a short while. She flicked through one of the books again, but her mind was racing to thoughts of Amanda and to what this new person may be like. Miss Patricia sounded like a formal name. Hopefully she would be kind like Jade, Hedwig, and Barry. Guilt swept through Casey as she thought of Barry and how he may feel if he found out about the kiss she shared with Amanda. Occupied by this worry, it took Casey several moments to notice someone was lightly knocking the door. 

"Oh um, come in!" Casey said, straightening her posture and sitting cross legged. She set the book aside and turned her full attention to the door. It clicked open and a hand delicately wrapped its fingers around the door, making a deliberate tapping sound. The door spread wider and wider open to reveal a woman stepping inside the room. The soft lamp light picked up the vibrant dark red color of her turtleneck and the glint of her blue eyes. Casey noticed the woman wore a long skirt with heels and a silver pendant around her neck. Once inside the room, the woman shut the door behind her and folded her hands together. She grinned and let out a pleasant hum. 

"Casey," the woman purred, "I am delighted to finally meet you. My name is Patricia." 

Casey took notice of Patrica's accent and wondered if that it had been learned through actual time in Britain, or if it was something she was born with. Nonetheless, Casey smiled back sweetly and nodded. 

"It's nice to meet you too, Miss Patricia. I um... your accent is really pretty." 

"Oh, thank you, dear!" Patricia cooed, placing her fingertips to her lips sensuously.

Patricia's gaze was unwavering and it made Casey feel somehow strange. Casey shivered but managed to keep her overall composure. 

"So um, Barry told me nothing about you. What kind of things do you like to do?" Casey asked. 

Patricia chuckled. "I'm sure Barry didn't tell you much about me at all. That's alright," She stepped closer to the bed, heels clacking, "I'm very curious about you, sweet thing. There's a lot we need to discuss." 

"Like what?"

"Like," Patricia sat herself down on the bed beside Casey, "Do you like getting your hair played with?"

Casey blushed, looking away and giggling nervously. "Umm." 

"May I?" Patricia asked. 

"You may..." said Casey. 

"Good girl." Patricia murmured, reaching out to run her fingers through Casey's hair. 

Patricia's eyes were still locked with Casey's. The woman's stare was different from the the others she shared her body with, something about it frightened Casey. However, Patricia's hand gently massaging the back of Casey's head placed her in a state of relaxation. 

"So dear, please tell me... what were you really doing with that girl? Breaking Barry's poor heart?" Patricia simpered, playfully twirling a lock of Casey's hair. 

Casey sharply looked away, ashamed. She searched for words that would make sense to say but struggled to form a response. 

"I um... I..." she stammered. 

"Oh..." Patricia's smile dropped, "You really were weren't you?" 

"I'm sorry," Casey whispered, "Please don't tell Barry!" 

"Shhh, shhh, don't fret, I won't." Patricia assured. "Barry and I don't really get along. He views certain things quite differently from me. I can admit, however, that I am a little jealous, Casey. You are so beautiful and kind, You'd make a great companion for us. Now, tell me everything you did with that girl at once." 

"No!" Casey snapped, batting away Patricia's hand from her hair. "I don't have to tell you anything about me. I know nothing about you! Barry wouldn't demand such things!" 

Patricia tilted her head, as if considering Casey's words, but the look in her eyes became even more malicious. Her lips curled into a smile that was more like a snarl, and then Patricia lunged forward. She grabbed a fist full of Casey's hair and yanked her head back, making her yelp. Patricia brought her face in close to Casey's, sneering. Casey felt hurt that the face of someone she trusted, now belonging to someone else, was terrifying to her. She attempted prying Patricia's arm away, but the woman only tightened her grip. 

"You will tell me everything," Patricia growled, "Or you won't see Barry ever again." 

"Why do you want to know so badly?" Casey asked, wincing from getting her hair pulled.

"Because we like you, dear. We just need to know if you are pure." Patrica said, looking down to Casey's twitching throat. 

"What does pure mean to you?" Casey whimpered. 

Patricia ran her tongue over her upper lip, "Hmm," she snickered, her eyes moving back up to meet Casey's. "The pure are those who have suffered. The broken. They are fit to live. The impure, are not." 

"I don't understand..." Casey cried. 

"Tell me what you did with the girl." Patricia bit out. 

"I kissed her!" Casey hissed, slapping Patricia across the face. 

In Patricia's shock, she let go of Casey's hair. Casey took this chance to bolt to the door. Before she could fully grasp the door handle, Patricia was on her. The woman wrapped her arm around Casey's waist. Dragging Casey back to the bed, Patricia then pulled Casey down onto it with her. 

"You are a naughty, naughty girl." Patricia muttered into Casey's ear, her breath tickling it. 

Casey no longer tried to resist. Patricia was stronger than her, and Casey knew better than to waste her energy trying to fight her off physically. Casey thought of the tactics she learned to try and protect herself from her uncle. Peeing on herself could work, but when Casey tried, nothing was there. Desperate, Casey started to cry. 

"Now, now, there's no need for that," Patricia hushed, using her free hand to pet Casey's head, "I just need to see..." 

Patricia's hand moved down from Casey's head to her arm. Patricia roughly yanked up Casey's sleeve to reveal nothing but a rosary. Patricia sighed. 

"I thought you mentioned you had scars, little fawn." 

"I do..." Casey whispered, "They are on my shoulders and stomach..." 

Without hesitation, Patricia began tearing at Casey's clothes. Casey did not put up a fight. Off came the hoodie, the sweater, and the undershirt, until all that remained was a bra. The scars were all visible now. Casey stopped crying audibly but her body shook uncontrollably. Wordlessly, Patricia's hands reached down to trace the rigid marks that decorated Casey's body. 

"My, my... you are pure. So much pain in these cuts. All your own work or the work of someone else?" Patricia asked. 

Casey hated how Patricia referred to the scars as "work," as if they were something to be proud of. All they were was a way to cope with the devastating childhood trauma Casey experienced. 

"The burn scars are from my uncle." Casey gulped, no longer wanting to deny Patricia the information she wanted. 

"Oh dear, you should be happy! This proves you are worthy! Rejoice!" Patricia said, smiling and closing her eyes as if in a state of bliss. She held Casey tightly in her embrace and nuzzled her head against Casey's. 

"...Worthy of what?" Casey asked. 

"Living." Patricia stated, laying Casey down on her back and crawling on top of her. 

Casey couldn't move or breathe or think. She was in a position almost mirroring the one she was in earlier with Amanda. Patricia, however, was a completely different animal. She bore the same face as Casey's friend, Barry, but this woman radiated an energy that reminded Casey of a wild tigress. Fanatical and cruel in her beliefs, Patricia's view of the world forced Casey into a state of severe opposition. Casey couldn't submit to this. Barry wouldn't want this. There was an allure, though, to Patricia's affectionate touch. Casey couldn't admit it to herself, but looking up into the woman's bright eyes made Casey's body tremble with a need to be closer. 

"Patricia," Casey gasped, "I know you were hurt by someone too. You don't have to hurt anyone else..." 

"Oh darling I'm sorry, but we must. The impure young shall be his sacrifice!" Patricia spoke enthusiastically, stroking the side of Casey's face, brushing the hair away from her ears. 

"Who's?!" 

Patricia leaned in close, whispering, "The Beast." 

Casey's blood ran cold. The implications of such a name struck terror through her. Whoever this Beast was, was someone or something that wanted to hurt people who haven't suffered like both she and Patricia had. Casey couldn't figure out what to do or say, she was paralyzed. 

"Please don't..." Casey managed to choke out. 

"Why?" Patricia spat, "I have no doubt the world treated you poorly just as it had myself and the others. The impure are not worthy of life for good reason, Casey." 

"How do you know that?" Casey challenged. 

"How could you want to protect them? They have done nothing of value. You fail to understand- Oh! Oh... it's that girl you kissed isn't it? You think she kissed you because she cares for you? No, no, silly girl. She used you." 

Casey couldn't hide her despair. She squeezed her eyes shut and looked away. "She may not have been able to care about me, but she was kind! I don't think anyone deserves to die for just being ignorant of pain!" 

"I think you deserve to know what it's like to truly be happy... to be loved." Patricia said, sounding suddenly gentle. 

"...Why?" 

"Because," Patricia whispered, her lips brushing against Casey's ear, "You are one of the few extraordinary people in this horrible world. I think... perhaps I could fall in love with you..." 

Casey couldn't wrap her head around what Patricia was saying. Everything all at once, the excruciatingly pleasant physical sensation combined with the moral conflict was overwhelming. Casey let out a mewl, unsure of why she couldn't stop feeling so drawn to the dangerous woman. 

"Please..." Patricia nearly begged, "Let me kiss you. Let me show you how sincere I am."

Casey turned her head back to face Patricia. The woman's eyes frightened Casey still. They glowed with an intensity that Casey had never seen before, but something about them was softer now, more vulnerable. Patricia seemed honest in her desire. Casey realized that both she and the woman were craving the same thing. A connection. To care for someone and in return be cared for. Empathy and understanding bubbled up to the surface inside Casey. Regardless of Patricia's twisted view of the world, the women wanted love too. Casey grew fearless. She closed her eyes and lifted her head, pressing her lips against Patricia's. 

Patricia was stunned momentarily, her body electrified by the unexpected kiss. Need coursed through her, causing her to moan into Casey's mouth. Never before had Patricia felt anything like this. It was truly special to share this intimate act. Flooding with passion, Patricia pressed her lips harder against Casey's. 

Casey melted into the kiss, the conflict she felt dissipating almost instantly. Through the kiss, Casey could feel Patricia's sincerity, as the woman had promised. Casey enjoyed the taste of Patricia's mouth. The warm wet pleasurable feeling made her core radiate with heat. They kissed slowly, but hard enough to leave them both breathless as Patricia pulled back. Casey followed with her mouth, wanting more. 

"Casey..." Patricia breathed. 

"Patricia... kiss me again?" Casey implored. 

"Oh darling, I'll never stop." 

They continued to kiss, Patricia moving herself lower to nibble on Casey's neck. Casey stifled her cries the best she could but Patricia's bites were too delicious of a sensation to deny. Working her way back up to Casey's ear, Patricia bit and kissed there too. Casey writhed underneath Patricia's weight, comforted and exhilarated by the pressure. The two woman lost in their passion both forgot their original goals. Patricia's hand slowly found its way to Casey's throat. Casey's hands held Patricia's waist. Patricia pulled back once again. 

"I may not have gotten the pleasure of being your first kiss, but I will get the pleasure of being your last, won't I darling?" Patricia asked, giving a light squeeze to Casey's neck. 

Casey, in her foggy and enchanted state, nodded. 

"Why don't I run you a nice bath? Then we can go to sleep. We can discuss more in the morning." Patricia hummed, pushing herself off of Casey and standing beside the bed. She offered her hand, and Casey took it. Together, they walked into the hallway. 

Once through the work room, turning on lights all along the way, they entered the previously empty space where now two beds were set up. Casey opened her mouth to question this but Patricia swiftly pulled Casey into the bathroom. Kissing her again, Patricia unclasped the hook of Casey's bra, revealing the rest of Casey's scars and her breasts. Casey blushed shyly and Patricia chuckled as she leaned down to kiss them. Casey couldn't hold back her noises, the feeling was too strong. Patricia took a break from teasing Casey to begin running the bath. 

"Take off the rest, dear." Patricia said, gesturing to Casey's leggings. 

Casey obediently removed her clothes. She then stepped into the bathtub. The cold water at her feet soon became warm and soothing. From the bathroom cabinet, Patricia retrieved a bottle of lavender scented body wash. When the water came up to Casey's ankles, she sat down in the bathtub. Patricia kneeled beside the tub and squeezed out some of the body wash into her hand. She then began massaging it into Casey's skin. 

"This feels amazing," Casey whispered, her eyes fluttering shut, "Thank you Patricia." 

"Anything for you." Patricia chimed. 

The scent of lavender filled the room, calming both women even further. Patricia watched Casey lean back and sink deeper into the tub. Her dark hair split into little veins of color under the water. Casey was beauty. Their conflict was not resolved, but in this moment, their hearts belonged to each other. Patricia could feel herself letting go. Letting go of the discipline, the strictness, and the blood-thirst that she always carried with her. Feeling inspired by this special moment, Patricia began to sing gently. 

"Every night I hope and pray  
A dream lover will come my way  
A girl to hold in my arms  
And know the magic of her charms   
'Cause I want   
A girl  
To call  
My own  
I want a dream lover   
So I don't have to dream alone."

Casey's eyes were open. She watched Patricia sing, utterly mesmerized by the woman's surprisingly melodic voice. 

"What song is that?" Casey asked. 

"Dream Lover by Bobby Darin. I heard it playing once at the supermarket. I thought it was beautiful." said Patrica. 

"It is. You are a surprising person, Patricia." 

"You are so kind, Casey. Like a dream come true." Patricia whispered, giving Casey's scars one final caress, "Now, let's get you to bed." 

Patricia dried Casey off with a fresh towel after she stepped out of the tub. Patricia gathered and folded up Casey's clothes as she led Casey back to the bedroom. On their way, Patricia picked out a nightgown from the clothing rack for Casey to wear. Casey slipped the comfy gown on with a content sigh. Holding hands, Casey and Patricia entered the bedroom and fell onto the bed. Patricia wrapped her arms around Casey possessively and Casey did the same. 

"Goodnight, darling, sleep well." Patricia purred. 

"Goodnight, Patricia." Casey mumbled, smiling against the woman's chest. 

They soon fell asleep, free of troubled thoughts. For now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Patricia is one jealous lady huh? She will be the major antagonist of this story, but a complex one. I really love her character so exploring her dark side is pretty fun! If you want to see her in a kinder form, The Broken Rejoice has that. Also, I hope any Thoroughbreds fans enjoyed the little Easter egg! ;) Please continue to let me know what you would like to see in this story! <3


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